A direct free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the following three offences: • holds an opponent • spits at an opponent • handles the ball deliberately (except for the goalkeeper within his own penalty area)

So much of it is up to the referee, and that's what sucks about the rule. How can you determine intent?

It's like when people complain about "soft" fouls that result in penalties. If a discretion is normally called a foul outside the box, it's a foul inside the box. Only an English precedence has determined that referees should allow everything up to murder inside the box before calling a penalty.

This normally happens in Champions League discussions involving Barcelona.